| Source: Basilica News Agency October 23, 2015 Address of His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania, to the pilgrims present in Bucharest on the dedication day of the Patriarchal Cathedral, October 23, 2015: The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church declared the year 2015 to be the Solemn Year of Parish and Monastery Missions Today and the Commemorative Year of St. John Chrysostom and of the Great Spiritual Shepherds. In the apostolic and patristic tradition of our Church we encounter many luminous countenances of spiritual shepherds who dedicated their entire lives to the mission of the Church. From amongst the great spiritual shepherds, we chose the wise and great hierarch St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople (347 - †407), to be particularly commemorated this year, because through his life and activity he proved to be a protector of true faith, a teacher of repentance, an illuminator of Christian families and of the monastic life, and a promoter of Christian philanthropy. Today, by the will of God, we have the joy of greeting on the Hill of the Patriarchate the relics of St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil the Great , and St. Gregory the Theologian , brought in a common reliquary from St. Paul Monastery of Holy Mount Athos, by a delegation of the Orthodox Church of Greece, led by His Eminence Metropolitan Pavlos of Drama, a friend of our Church and of the saints. The presence in Bucharest during these festive days, from October 23 to 28, of the relics of the Three Holy Hierarchs , together with the relics of St. Demetrius the New and of the Holy Emperors Constantine and Helen, represents a great blessing for all of us: hierarchs, clergy, monastics, faithful pilgrims from home and abroad, but also a sign of fraternal communion between Greek and Romanian Orthodox Christians, between Greece and Romania, between Holy Mount Athos, which is under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, and the Romanian Patriarchate. Furthermore, this communion of the saints also represents an occasion to mark two important anniversaries in the life of the Romanian Orthodox Church: the 130 th anniversary of the recognition of the autocephaly of the Romanian Orthodox Church (April 1885), and the 90 th anniversary of her elevation to the rank of Patriarchate (February 1925). |
| Students and Teachers of Holy Trinity Seminary Visit Phanar Source: ROCOR Natalya Mihailova 23 July 2015 From July 14-21, 2015, instructors of Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY, Deacon Andrei Psarev and VA Permjakov led a group of seminarians, including Hegumen Konstantin (Kurkin) and novice Angelos Stanway on a tour of the historic attractions of Istanbul (Constantinople) and Nicaea (Iznik). Photo: http://synod.com/ These seminarians studied Byzantine history last year, and this trip culminates their education in the field thanks to generous donations by graduates of HTS and other benefactors. On July 18, the Jordanville group visited the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Phanar. George Saraph, a member of the English Department of the Patriarchate, showed the visitors the Cathedral of St George the Great Martyr and talked about its history and main holy relics. During the excursion, the visitors saw the history of the survival of the patriarchate during the Ottoman period. They venerated the relics of Holy Great Martyr Euthemius (4th century), the Three Hierarchs: St Basil the Great, St Gregory the Theologian and St John Chrysostom, as well as other relics. This church will host a conference of the Heads of the Local Orthodox Churches in September of this year, where they will be discussing plans for convening an Pan-Orthodox Council in 2016. Photo: http://synod.com/ Mr Saraph then showed the visitors the residence of His All-Holiness the Patriarch and the Patriarchal Chancery, where a regular session of the Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople meets on a monthly basis. Then the guests prayed during great vigil, performed in the presence of His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew. After the service, His All-Holiness received the teachers and students of HTS in his cabinet. In addition to Mr Saraph, Pastor Mark Madrigal, the Jordanville group’s guide, and Mr Orkun Kumkale were present. During their discussion, His All-Holiness warmly greeted the visitors and gave them his patriarchal blessing for their visits to the sites connected with the glorious yet tragic history of Byzantium. His All-Holiness briefly told them about the preparations for the Pan-Orthodox Council of 2016, and the conference of the Heads of the Local Churches later this year, and asked for their prayers for success in these endeavors. Patriarch Bartholomew was then told about the new publishing concern of Holy Trinity Seminary under the auspices of Holy Trinity Monastery Publishing, after which His All-Holiness gave the visitors mementos of their visit and books for the HTS library. |
| Online Liturgical Guide Adds January Texts Source: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America In January of 2015, three great saints of our Church are celebrated on Sundays: St. Theodosius of Palestine, head of monasteries (January 11); Ss. Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria (January 18); and St. Gregory the Theologian (January 25). Natalya Mihailova 07 January 2015 St. Andrew Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church of Pensacola, Florida offers the Outdoor Great Sanctification of Water and “Cross Dive” at Theophany celebrations in 2014. The liturgical texts for the month of January, blessed by His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph, are now ready for clergy and laity to download from the Online Liturgical Guide. “For in the preceding feast we have beheld Thee a babe, and in this present feast we behold Thee perfect man, O our perfect God, appearing from the Perfect.” With these words from the Service of the Great Sanctification of Water, the Orthodox Church transitions from the Nativity of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ (Christmas) to His Epiphany, or Theophany. In this great feast, we celebrate the revelation of our Lord as God. Theophany is also known as the “Feast of Lights” in that Jesus, by His baptism in the River Jordan, enlightened the world. Christ’s baptism also marks the renewal of humanity: our Lord is cleansed and He shows us how we must be cleansed of sin by drowning it in the waters which He blessed by entering them. The hymnography and prayers contained in the liturgical texts mark all of these themes for the feast on January 6. Theophany is one of three feasts (along with Pascha and the Nativity) in which the Orthodox Church celebrates the Royal, or Great, Hours and the Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great on the eve, marking its solemnity and importance. Many Orthodox Churches offer two services of the Great Sanctification of Water on Theophany: indoors, where the faithful can drink the water and take it home; and outdoors at a stream, river, lake or ocean. The Sundays before and after Theophany, January 4 and 11, mark one continuous celebration of this great feast. |
| Archive Metropolitans Hilarion of Volokolamsk and Anthony of Chersonesus celebrate Liturgy at Metochion of the Holy Three Hierarchs in Paris 13 February 2022 year 12:16 On February 12, 2022, the Day of the Synaxis of the Three Hierarchs: St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, and St. John Chrysostom, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, and Metropolitan Anthony of Chersonesus, Patriarchal Exarch for Western Europe, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the historical Methochion of the Holy Three Hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church’s Diocese of Chersonesus in Paris. The archpastors were assisted by Archpriest Nikolay Rebinder, rector of the cathedral, Archimandrite Philaret (Bulekov), DECR vice-chairman, Hieromonk Stephen (Igumnov), DECR secretary for inter-Christian relations, and the clergy of the Diocese of Chersonesus. Present at the liturgy was a delegation of the Roman Catholic Church led by Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, who came to Paris to take part in the events devoted to the 6th anniversary of the Havana meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, as well as Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Apostolic Nuncio to France. During the Prayer of Fervent Supplication, petitions were lifted up for deliverance fr om the coronavirus infection. After the liturgy, Metropolitan Anthony of Chersonesus and Western Europe warmly greeted Metropolitan Hilarion speaking about the special importance of the Metochion of the Holly Three Hierarchs in the history of the Russian Diaspora. In his response, Metropolitan Hilarion congratulated the congregation on the patronal feast of the Metochion - the commemoration day of the holy hierarchs - St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, and St. John Chrysostom. “Each of them made a tremendous and decisive contribution to the course of defending the Orthodox doctrine. We glorify them today as saints who give us an example of how we, too, should respond to the challenges of our time, oppose schisms and false teachings and defend the Orthodox teaching”, the hierarch stressed. |
| Primate of Russian Church celebrates Liturgy at Convent of Protecting Veil of the Mother of God on the 2nd Sunday of Lent Source: DECR Natalya Mihailova 10 March 2015 On 8 March 2015, the 2nd Sunday of Lent, the commemoration day of St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica and the feast of the finding of the holy relics of the Blessed Matrona of Moscow, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia visited the Stavropegic Convent of the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God in Moscow. This year marks the 380th anniversary of the foundation of the convent and the 20th anniversary of its revival. Upon his arrival at the convent, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill venerated the holy relics of the blessed eldress Matrona at the Church of the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God and officiated at the Liturgy of St Basil the Great at the Church of the Resurrection. During the Liturgy, Archimandrite Ioann (Moshnegutsu) was consecrated Bishop of Soroca, vicar of the diocese of Chiinu (Orthodox Church of Moldova). Concelebrating with His Holiness was an assembly of hierarchs and priests of the Russian Orthodox Church, including clerics of the Orthodox Church of Moldova. After the Litany of Fervent Supplication the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church said a prayer for peace in Ukraine. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill also prayed for the repose of the soul of the recently demised Metropolitan Manuil of Karelia and Petrozavodsk. After the Liturgy Hegumenness Feofania (Miskina), abbess of the Stavropegic Convent of the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God, greeted His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and presented him with an old icon of the Protecting Veil of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church addressed the worshippers with a primatial homily. His Holiness presented the sisters of the convent with an embroidered image of the Last Supper. The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church also presented high church awards and said a thanksgiving at the shrine with the relics of the blessed eldress Matrona. |
| Crypto-Christians in Pontus (Part 3) Kromni’s Churches Restored Trabzond walls. Although, as I mentioned, the first mosque was erected in Kromni in 1815, the first church was only built sixteen years later by professed Christians who had begun moving to the area in the 1700s to work in the mines. This church came about during the reign of Sultan Mahmud Han II (1808-1839), who decreed that ruined Christian churches might be restored. As the remains of a 13th-century church could still be seen in the Kromnean village of Samanandon, the crypto-Christians encouraged the professed Christians to petition the Sultan to allow them to rebuild. The Sultan sent his approval in a firman (decree) in 1830, stating that, “those who petitioned and begged for the restoration of the ruined church at Siamanli (Samanandon) diocese… after examination and inspection by officials of my office, this truth has been proven and established that the dimensions of the church are twenty-seven by thirteen…. In answer to whether it is possible to allow for its restoration, the answer is yes, but without the right to exceed even an [inch] of the initial limits of the building, and to restore it without receiving one [penny] or grain of wheat as compensation.” The Church of St. George was finished and dedicated in 1831. The crypto- Christians could admire it, but none could go inside; such a deed would have jeopardized their secret. As the century progressed and the laws were further relaxed, the professed Christians of Kromni built more new churches, each time at the instigation and support of the crypto-Christians, who aided them by minimizing Ottoman reaction. In this way, by the end of the century, every hill and mountain peak had its Christian church. It was as if our centuries-old underground crypto-Christian chapels had taken root, germinated, and sprouted forth on the surface of the earth. The Greek Revolution During the reign of Sultan Mahmut B (1808-1839), the first of several great “earthquakes” occurred in the lives of the crypto-Christians. The first was the news in March of 1821 that the Greeks of the Peloponnese, led by Metropolitan Germanos of Patras and joined by others on the Greek mainland, had risen in revolt against Ottoman rule. When the news reached the Sublime Port, and the sleeping Sultan was awakened with the news, he allegedly rolled on the floor screaming in rage, “Rum ismi ile kulum yoktur, kesin kafalarini.” “I do not recognize any Greek subjects, off with their heads.” The first Greek executed in retaliation was Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople, who was held responsible for the uprising and hung from the middle gate of the courtyard of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. In memory of his tragic death, this gate has remained closed until now. Another twelve hierarchs lost their lives for the same reason. |
| “Greece will soon become a Muslim country”—Athonite abbot Moscow, March 10, 2017 Photo: breezecreatives.com Abbot Gregory (Zimus) of Dochariou Monastery on Mt. Athos has offered serious criticism of Greece’s immigration policy, noting that their Orthodox ancestors struggled for six hundred years against the Islamization of Greece, but now the time is approaching when there will be more Muslims than Orthodox Christians in the nation. AgionOros.ru offers the main points of his statement. According to Archimandrite Gregory, the refugees arriving to Greece “are equipped with the most sophisticated cell phones, with skinny jeans, a scarf and cigarettes. Unfortunately, in Mohammed’s time women didn’t wear makeup, so he didn’t speak against such physical appearance…” The Athonite elder added that it’s not chauvinistic to value your own homeland and culture, wanting to preserve it. “I’m not going to their homeland to fight with them, but I don’t want to see them in my homeland. It’s not chauvinism.” “The government banned the ringing of bells under the pretext that it’s too loud,” he continued, “but when the muezzin yells out three times a day, it doesn’t bother anyone?” In offering his critique, Fr. Gregory plainly spoke the truth about Islam: “The Islamists hate our faith, and they hate the Cross, Christ, and the Theotokos.” Unfortunately, he says, even bishops remove their crosses when going to visit the refugees so as not to “annoy them.” Why does the government invite in refugees, he wondered, if they are unwilling to look after Greece’s own homeless and poor? “The Orthodox Church has encountered two great enemies on its historical path: Islamism and Papism. And today they, taking each other by the hand, have joined forces to destroy Greece… They burned and slaughtered our ancestors, but we think things will turn out better? Why are we receiving them into our country?” the spiritual father asked. In his words, the refugees are, in fact, conquerors. “Greece has become the court of the devil—any atheist and antichrist can find shelter in a country of martyrs and saints. There exists hatred and the desire to erase Orthodoxy and Greece from the face of the earth. Who will give an answer for this evil? Our atheistic rulers or the pope of Rome, who have become an object of veneration for some Orthodox? Unfortunately, everything is moving towards us communing of unleavened bread,” Fr. Gregory said, pointing to ancient divergence in Eucharistic practices between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic communion. “[A]nd the Koran will be held in our hands,” he said in conclusion. |
| Metropolitan Hilarion presents bells to Bulgarian Church’s Diocese of Veliko Tarnovo on behalf o His Holiness Patriarch Kirill Source: DECR Natalya Mihailova 22 December 2014 On 19 December 2014, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, while on a visit to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, arrived in the city of Veliko Tarnovo. Photo: https://mospat.ru The archpastor was accompanied by archimandrite Gerasim (Georgiev), secretary of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church; archimandrite Filipp (Vasiltsev), rector of the metochion of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in Sofia; hieromonk Zotik (Gayevsky), secretary of the metochion; hierodeacon Nikolai (Ono); and Ms. Yelena Prikhodko, second secretary of the Russian Embassy in Bulgaria. Upon his arrival, the DECR chairman was met by Metropolitan Grigory of Veliko Tarnovo. The archpastors together proceeded to the Cathedral dedicated to the Resurrection of Christ and the Holy Great Martyr George the Victory-Bearer, the largest functioning church in the city. It is situated in the Park “Ruski Grobishta”. There is a cemetery in the park, where Russian soldiers, who had died fighting for the liberation of Bulgaria during the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-1878, were buried. Mr. Daniel Panov, Mayor of Veliko Tarnovo, greeted the guests. At the cathedral, Metropolitan Hilarion celebrated the rite of the blessing of the bells, which were made in Russia with donations from Mr. Alexei Ananiev and Mr. Pavel Novoselov. With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the bells were presented to the Diocese of Veliko Tarnovo of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Metropolitan Gregory of Veliko Tarnovo greeted Metropolitan Hilarion, saying in particular, “We are very glad that the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate has come here to bless the bells for our church. We are also pleased that you, dear Vladyka, have visited this place commemorating the liberation of our country. Bulgaria is a small country (some dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church are larger than the whole Bulgaria), however, the majority of monuments commemorating the greatness and heroic deeds of our liberators, are located here.” The Church of the Resurrection of Christ has been built as a symbol of friendship between the two nations; the lower church is dedicated to the Great Martyr George the Victory-Bearer, heavenly patron of soldiers. |
| Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk meets with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby admin 29 September 2013 September 25, 2013 On 25 September 2013, at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, and Arcbishop Elisey of Sourozh attended the episcopal ordination of Canon Jonathan Goodall which took place in the main Cathedral of Westminster Abbey. Canon J. Goodall worked as the Ecumenical Secretary of the Archbishop of Canterbury for many years. Among those present at the ceremony were Archbishop Gregory of Thyateira and Great Britain (Patriarchate of Constantinople), Metropolitan Iosif of Southern and Western Europe (Romanian Orthodox Church), hierarchs and clergy of the Local Orthodox Churches and Oriental Churches, and the Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain, Archbishop Antonio Mennini. After the ceremony, the guests proceeded to the Lambeth Palace where a solemn reception was given on behalf of the Archbishop of Canterbury. During the reception, Metropolitan Hilarion had a talk with Dr Geoffrey Rowell , the Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe. They discussed a number of topical issues of inter-Christian relations, as well as the prospects in students exchange between theological educational institutions. Metropolitan Hilarion also had talks with the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, and with the Bishop of London, Dr. Richard Chartres. That same day, the DECR chairman met with the Archbsihop of Canterbury Justin Welby at the Lambeth Palace. The participants in the meeting discussed the current state of inter-Christian relations and of the Orthodox-Anglican dialogue, as well as the prospects for further cooperation between the theological schools of the Russian Orthodox Church and the theological educational institutions of Great Britain. Metropolitan Hilarion conveyed to the Archbishop of Canterbury an invitation to send students and groups of pilgrims to Russia so that they could learn more about the Russian Orthodox spirituality and the life of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Anglican bishops who took part in the meeting spoke about the great importance of the heroic deed of the holy new martyrs and confessors of the Russian Church for the whole Christendom. |
| Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk: “In Order to Face the Challenges of Modernity We Must be Highly Educated” Our time, dear brothers and sisters, is not less challenging for the Church than the time of the fourth century, and the mission which is set before us is in no way less important than one carried out by the great hierarchs and teachers of the past. Sermon delivered by Bishop Hilarion of Vienna and Austria during the Divine Liturgy, celebrated at the Three Hierarchs Chapel at St Vladimir’s Theological Seminary on 30 January 2004, by His Beatitude Metropolitan Herman of All America and Canada. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ! There is much in common among the three hierarchs and great ecumenical teachers whom we commemorate today: Saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom. All three lived in a time when the Christian Church, after almost three centuries of persecution, received freedom and was flourishing throughout the Byzantine ‘oikoumene’. All the three were involved in contesting contemporary heresies, of which the most dangerous was Arianism, which rejected the Divinity of Jesus Christ. All the three combined serving the Church in episcopal rank with literary activity, and it is precisely their literary legacy which secured for them the paramount place that they occupy in Christian Tradition. All the three were victims of ecclesiastical intrigues, and suffered — in one way or another — from their fellow bishops: in fact, two of the three (Gregory and John) were deposed and died in exile. Their posthumous glory, however, exceeded any expectations their contemporaries might have had, and their significance for the entire Christian Church in East and West cannot be overestimated. A particular common characteristic of the three holy hierarchs was their love for scholarship and learning. Gathered as we are today, in this place of Christian learning, in this chapel of which they are the holy patrons, it seems appropriate to remind ourselves of some features of their attitude toward scholarship. In what follows I will focus mostly on St Gregory the Theologian’s teaching on this subject. |
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